


Blooms of Marmora

by Revasnaslan



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Biology, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Background Thace/Ulaz, Dads of Marmora (Voltron), Galra Keith (Voltron), Implied Mpreg, M/M, Mentioned Lotor/Pidge, Mutual Pining, Slow Dancing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-06-09 00:16:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15255207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Revasnaslan/pseuds/Revasnaslan
Summary: A chance encounter with a new university student leaves Keith with a not so subtle crush.—Written as part of the 2017-2018Keith Mini Bang.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote two fics for the Keith Mini Bang, both of them Regeith. This is the first one, which takes place in a florist au i've had since mid-last year. I intend to (one day) finish the prequel fic for it that covers Thace and Ulaz's meeting as well, but that's currently still in planning stages so I can't link to it XD
> 
>  **BETA:** Vox | [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/voxiferous) | [Ao3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akumeoi/pseuds/Akumeoi)  
>  **ARTIST:** Mebu | [Tumblr](http://meteorysh.tumblr.com/) | [LINK TO ART](http://meteorysh.tumblr.com/post/175931287208/)

Keith supposed that he liked his job well enough—it helped that his boss was his father. Thace had been the proprietor of Blooms of Marmora since Keith was very small. The shop was all that Keith had known for much of his early life. He used to spend all day following his father around the shop because Thace hadn’t been able to afford daycare at the time. However, even after Thace had bonded with Ulaz, and they had had a steadier supply of income, Keith had still stuck around the shop until he had been old enough to go to school.

Now that Keith was grown, he still helped out. During his shifts, he also watched his cub sister, Selkis, which was an easy enough job. She stuck close to his side throughout the day, especially when Thace wasn’t in the shop—and sometimes even when he was. She didn’t particularly like going out front when there were more than a couple of customers out there. Keith could sympathize, as he had never been much of a people person either.

“Keef!” Selkis said one afternoon as they stood in the backroom together, hopping up and down on her toes beside him. “Wanna see!”

Keith looked away from the plant sitting on the counter he had been tending to—one of the sickly ones that they hadn’t been able to sell because nobody wanted it. Gingerly, he scooped her up, balancing her on his hip. “Alright, but you have to sit down, though,” he reminded her. It was a rule that Thace had made for Keith when he was a cub too, after he had nearly taken a tumble off the countertop out front because he had been running on it. Thankfully, Antok had been around at the time to catch Keith with his tail, but it had still greatly distressed Thace.

Selkis pouted, but nodded. When she was set down on the table, she carefully tucked her legs underneath of herself, and watched what Keith was doing with rapt attention. Not unlike what Keith had done when he was a cub. He had always been hanging off of Thace’s shoulders, trying to see what his father was doing while Thace took care of the plants or arranged them.

“Dad back soon?” Selkis asked as her ears twitched against the sides of her head.

“Oh, I’m sure he will be, Sel,” Keith assured her. “He just had to head out to do a couple of quick errands…”

Selkis perked up again at that. “Treats?” she asked excitedly, eyes widening.

“Knowing him, probably,” Keith said, reaching out to lightly ruffle her headfur. The fluffy crest that ran between her ears ended up getting muddied by some of the dirt Keith had on his gloves. But she already needed a bath anyway. There were streaks of dirt on her off-white mask from where she had been pawing at one of the pots earlier while Thace had been repotting a couple of tali flowers.

That answer wasn’t enough to sate Selkis’s never ending curiosity, though. Instead, she carefully stood up and reached out to grab onto Keith’s arm in order to maintain her balance. “What kind? What kind?” she asked, bouncing up and down on her toes.

Keith purred softly in amusement as his fluffy ears twitched. “You always ask that, Sel,” he teased lightly, ducking his head to nuzzle his nose against her temple, and earning a soft giggle in return. “Perhaps he’ll bring back some dried fruit… your favorite?” And he smiled when Selkis excitedly nodded.

Keith’s ears perked when he heard the front door to the shop open, and both he and Selkis turned their heads in the direction of the sound, ears perking straight up. Selkis let out an excited gasp and then urgently started repeating the word  _ down _ . Keith merely smiled and lowered her to the ground by the back of her shirt. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she took off, nearly sliding across the floor in her haste to get to Thace.

Keith turned back to his work, looking at the undersides of the plant’s leaves to see if they were browning. Earlier, he had checked to make sure there weren’t any bugs on them. The flower looked less wilted than it had yesterday as well, so he hoped the plant was improving.

Almost immediately after she had disappeared, Keith heard the telltale sound of Selkis’s toe claws softly pattering against the floor as she returned to the backroom.

“Keef!” she said, latching onto his leg and whining as she hopped up and down on her toes. “ _ Keeeeef _ !” she repeated, trying to catch hold of the hem of his shirt. She was too small to reach, though. When Keith glanced down at her, he found that she was crying, tears running down her cheeks and staining her fur.

Immediately, he turned away from the flower to crouch down in front of her, so they were on the same level. “What’s the matter, Sel?” he asked worriedly.

“Not Dad…” Selkis’s fluffy ears pinned back as she whined and snuggled into his arms. She looked back at the doorway that led out to the store with wide eyes. “Big… with tail…” she mumbled, ears twitching nervously against the sides of her head.

Keith frowned in confusion. For a tick, he thought that perhaps Antok was out there, only to immediately dismiss that idea. Selkis  _ adored _ Antok, and liked following him around while holding onto his tail. She wouldn’t have reacted like this if it were Antok.

“Is there someone out there?” he asked, tilting his head to the side. Selkis nodded, sniffing as she rubbed one of her eyes. Keith offered a reassuring smile. “Well, then we should go and say hello, don’t you think?”

Selkis shook her head quickly, pouting at him. “Noooo…”

“But Dad tells us to be polite,” Keith reminded her, before he carefully scooped her up into his arms. “I’ll hold you, don’t worry… nothing is going to happen to you.”

Selkis still didn’t look convinced. “Promise?”

Keith nodded. “Of course, don’t you trust me?”

At the question, Selkis visibly perked up and nodded.

The customer was just turning to leave when Keith came out to the front of the store. “Wait!” he said quickly. “I’m sorry, I was in the back checking on one of our plants.”

The customer turned back again, ears twitching nervously beneath his hood—which he was likely wearing because of the rain outside. The customer was indeed tall, just like Selkis had said. He was perhaps an inch or so shorter than Ulaz was. He looked to be at least part Galra—possibly even half, like Antok was—although he did have a tail with three spikes on the end. He had bluish-gray skin, with mottling across his cheeks and nose like Keith’s friend, Pidge, had. Perched on the bridge of his nose were glasses.

Then, a long, forked tongue flicked out of his mouth, as if he were scenting the air.

It took Keith a moment to realize he had been staring at the newcomer, and he awkwardly cleared his throat. “Is that them, Sel?” he asked. His sister mumbled something too quietly for him to hear before burying her face in his shoulder and gripping at the thick fabric of his sweater. Keith sighed, turning his gaze back to the newcomer. “You startled Selkis a little bit there… she thought you were Dad…”

As she was mentioned, Selkis peeked out at the newcover again. While she didn’t have as much nerve as Keith remembered he had had when he was being held as a child, she seemed more than a little curious.

The newcomer chuckled nervously. “I’m sorry about that,” he said, as his ears pinned back in embarrassment. “I’m Regris, and I was just wondering if you knew how to get to the university from here? I got a little lost.”

“Oh, are you new to the city, then?” Keith asked as he began looking under the counter for the pen and pad of paper that he knew Thace kept somewhere.

“Just moved here,” Regris said, nodding.

When he found what he was looking for, Keith carefully balanced Selkis on his hip and tore the cap of the pen off with his teeth. Then, he carefully jotted down the directions. The university wasn’t  _ that _ far from here, and Keith knew the way by heart since he frequently walked there in order to visit his friends who were attending from offworld—Pidge, who came from Altea, and Shiro, who came from Terra.

“Why here?” Selkis asked suddenly, appearing to have gained some confidence.

“Oh, so you’re braver than you appear,” Regris teased as his tail tip flicked back and forth against the floor. “I’m a student here. I just moved from Daibazaal City.”

“That’s where Papa is from, Sel,” Keith said. At the mention of Ulaz, Sel perked up and nodded in understanding.

“Your sister is cute…” Regris commented as Keith continued writing the instruction. “How old is she?”

“She just had her second name day a couple of weeks ago,” Keith said, carefully tearing the sheet free of the pad and holding it out for Regris to take. “That should take you straight to the university.”

“Thank you…” Regris trailed off and looked at Keith expectantly. It took Keith a moment to realize he hadn't introduced himself.

“Keith—” he said quickly, fluffing up in embarrassment. “My name is Keith.”

“Well, thank you, Keith,” Regris said as he turned to leave.

“Bye, Reg!” Selkis said, raising a hand to wave at his back, and once he was at the door, Regris turned to respond in kind. As he disappeared from view and down the street, Keith carefully set Selkis down on the floor.

“Do you think he’ll come back, Keef?” Selkis asked, clambering up onto the chair that sat next to the window to see if she could see Regris.

“I don't know, Sel…” Keith said. He thought Regris looked a little young to be interested in buying flowers, and he was too new in the city to know someone… probably. But Keith didn't think on it too much more as he turned and headed into the backroom to continue his work. Selkis lingered in the front for all of two ticks before Keith heard her following after him.

—

Thace eventually did return from his errands, carrying several more bags of groceries than Keith had been anticipating his father to bring back. So, while Keith swept the shop for closing, with Selkis trailing after him and holding onto the hem of his shirt, Thace headed upstairs to unpack and organize everything. He didn’t ask what had happened around the shop while he had been gone, as he usually did.

Frankly, Keith hoped that he’d be able to get away  _ without _ mentioning the stranger that he had helped. Both of his fathers had a tendency to be rather nosy—Thace more so than Ulaz. Keith had been very shy as a cub, sticking to his father like glue, even when they went to the park. Thace had always been worried about him not having many friends. Keith did remember that he used to insist that  _ he _ was Thace’s favorite, including to Ulaz when he had first stumbled into the shop, drenched from the rain. Keith had only just passed his third name day then, and had already been building an attitude.

At least he hadn’t kicked Ulaz in the shin, or else Ulaz might’ve never come back.

As Keith glanced at the ticker hanging above the door, he noticed that it was late—Ulaz still wasn’t home from work yet. The pediatric clinic where Ulaz worked wasn’t more than two blocks from Blooms of Marmora, and so Ulaz frequently came back for his lunch break to check in on all of them and get a quick bite to eat. He hadn’t done so today.

Right now, Selkis was perched on the cushion on the back of the armchair by the window, pressing her tiny hands against the glass as she kept a lookout for Ulaz. Her fluffy ears perked up whenever she saw a person walking around outside, but when she realized it wasn’t Ulaz, they drooped again.

“Keef!” she said, clumsily turning on the chair as the cushion shifted under her weight. “Where’s Papa?”

“I don’t know,” Keith said, plopping down in the sitting chair and turning to rest his arms on the back cushion. He was careful not to take up too much of Selkis’s space. “He’s very late, isn’t he?”

Selkis pouted and whined, ears pinning back. “Home soon?”

“I don’t know, Sel,” Keith said, reaching out to lightly smooth his hand over her crest.

“Keith!” Thace called from upstairs. “Dinner’s ready!”

Keith quickly gathered Selkis up in his arms before she could protest. She squirmed, gripping at the back of his shirt as Keith carried her upstairs. Upon entering the kitchen, he carefully set her down in her chair and went to help Thace get plates.

“Leftovers?” he guessed, noting the tupperware containers sitting on the counter.

Thace snorted, ears twitching in amusement. “What gave it away?” he asked as he made a plate for himself and a smaller one for Selkis. Then, he turned and went over to the table to sit down in the chair beside Selkis.

Keith quickly put his own plate together. Behind him, he could already hear Selkis talking about something excitedly and Thace encouraging her as he ate his own dinner. Keith only joined them after he had finished choosing his food.

“So, Selkis tells me that you made a friend today,” Thace said no sooner than Keith had sat down. He was  _ trying _ —and failing—to remain nonchalant.

Keith bit back an embarrassed groan as he tried to keep his focus on his dinner, even though he wanted to shoot his cub sister a look of utter betrayal. When he glanced up, Thace was staring at him expectantly, ignoring how Selkis had just gotten some of her dinner stuck in her fur.

“Did she?” Keith asked, feigning ignorance on the off chance his father would leave him alone.

“While I was out for errands?” Thace prompted, tilting his head to the side. “I left you in charge of the shop for half a varga? Is that helping remind you?”

“I just… helped him with directions,” Keith sighed, frowning as his ears pinned back and his fur fluffed up in embarrassment. “He was looking for the university or something.”

“Big!” Selkis said, throwing her arms up in the air.

“You think everyone is big, kitling,” Thace chuckled softly as he wiped her face off with a dampened cloth. Her off-white mask had been stained a faint orange and would need more intensive cleaning, but it was enough for now to just get the mush free of her fur. Selkis didn’t appreciate it, though, as she whined and squirmed in her seat. “Yes, I know…” Thace said in mock exasperation. “You like Papa better than me, that’s fine.”

“Where is Papa, anyway?” Keith asked.

“He said he’d be late,” Thace said, shrugging as his ears flicked against the sides of his head. “Your grandma needed help with something, apparently. I think he’ll be home soon, though. When I talked to him, he said he’d be back before twenty-one-hundred.”

Keith grimaced. That was late. Selkis would be going to bed long before that, and she normally wanted Ulaz to read her bedtime story. However, she also enjoyed it when Thace read to her too, so perhaps she wouldn’t throw a fit. Tomorrow, Ulaz had the day off, so she’d be able to spend all the time she wanted with him.

The rest of dinner went smoothly enough. Selkis was already showing signs of sleepiness before she had even finished eating. So, Thace had scooped her up and as she snuggled in, he told Keith that he could put the dishes in the sink and he’d worry about them after Selkis had been put down for the night. Then, without another word, Thace disappeared from the room. After putting all the dishes in the sink, Keith retreated to his own room and passed out before his head even hit the pillow.

—

Over the next couple of days, Keith continued working at the shop as he always had. Around the flowers and his father and sister, Keith felt calm. It was something he liked about working for his father. Today, he was working in the back of the shop, looking over the shelves and cleaning them off so that new stock could be purchased and brought in.

The door to the front of the shop opened, and Keith’s ears gave a subtle flick in the direction of the noise. However, he didn’t move to go and see who had just entered the shop. With Thace out front, and Selkis out for the afternoon with Ulaz, there wasn’t much point in him going out there unless he was needed for something. He could hear Thace speaking with the customer in the next room, but it came out as mumbles, and Keith couldn’t make out what they were saying. Deciding not to pay it any mind, he turned his attention back to dusting off the shelf with a brush—he made a mental note that he’d have to sweep the floor before Selkis got back...

“Keith!” Thace suddenly called from the front of the shop. “Your friend is here!”

Keith’s ears flicked curiously as he turned around. He wasn’t expecting any of his friends to show up today—he couldn’t remember asking either Pidge or Shiro to visit. He was pretty sure Pidge was actually supposed to be in class right now, so unless she was skipping, it was unlikely she was out there.

With a sigh, Keith set the brush down on the shelf, and left the backroom. When he did, he immediately recognized Regris. He hoped his surprised wasn’t too evident—he hadn’t been expecting to see Regris again any time soon, if ever. He had assumed that Regris would never come back because all he had needed was directions and nothing else. Keith tried not to let his fur fluff up too much as he noticed how happy Thace looked. Willing his fur to lie flat, he approached the counter.

“Hello, Regris,” he said politely, trying to smile. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to thank you for giving me directions,” Regris said, returning the smile as his ears perked.

“You sure you didn’t just get lost again?” Keith asked dryly, crossing his arms over his chest.

Regris laughed, and Keith caught sight of pearly white fangs nestled against the roof of his mouth before Regris raised his hand to try to muffle the sound. “No, but I was very lucky to stumble across this shop when I was lost,” he said. Then, he turned to look at Thace. “You have a very nice shop, sir.”

Thace beamed at that. “Thank you,” he said. “I’ve been running it since Keith was just a baby… he used to follow me around everywhere I went.”

“ _ Dad _ …” Keith hissed—it felt like his fur was going to catch on fire, and his ears pinned back against the sides of his head. 

However, before he could say anything else, the front door to the shop opened as Ulaz returned, with Selkis carefully tucked in his arms. In Ulaz’s other hand, he held the bag of things that Thace had asked him to get from the store. Selkis was holding a small fruit in her hands, nibbling at it. Upon seeing Regris, however, her eyes brightened and she began wiggling to get out of Ulaz’s grasp. Carefully, he set her down on the floor.

“Papa, hold please,” Selkis said, handing the half-eaten fruit over to Ulaz before barreling over to Regris and latching onto his leg. “Reg!” she said, bouncing up and down on her toes. She started babbling on about something or other, quickly enough for Keith to wonder if she was speaking Galran or not.

“Play?” Selkis asked hopefully.

“And I can get you something to drink, so you can stay and chat with Keith for a while,” Thace suggested, mirroring Selkis’ hopeful expression.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Regris said, shaking his head. “Not today. I have class in half a varga, I only want to thank Keith for helping me.”

Selkis whined and pouted irritably while Thace looked just as upset—and Ulaz barely hid his snort of amusement, although he didn’t say anything.

“I can come back sometime, though,” Regris added. “Since you offered.”

“I think Keith would like that,” Thace said.

Keith didn’t say anything to the contrary. He liked Regris well enough, even though they had only just met. He seemed very nice and interesting. Keith only rarely left Marmora, but from what he remembered from their earlier meeting, Regris was from Daibazaal City. Had he seen lots of things? There were far more people there, from many different systems. Keith didn’t even know what Regris was studying, either, but it must have been interesting. Marmora University had a very good technology program, after all.

“Only if it’s not too much trouble,” Keith said sheepishly, ears twitching against the sides of his head.

“Why would it be any trouble?” Regris asked, tilting his head to the side. “Maybe you can show me around town, so I don’t get lost again.”

Whether or not Regris was joking, Keith couldn’t really tell, but he quickly nodded, unable to contain his smile.


	2. Chapter 2

Afternoons around the shop tended to be rather slow. Keith often found himself without much to do except keep an eye on Selkis or hope Thace had some busy work for him.

When Keith headed upstairs to the apartment to get himself some lunch, Thace reminded him that afterward, they were going to clear some of the shelves—but they were going to need to be quiet. It was around this time everyday that Selkis was supposed to settle down for her mid-afternoon nap. Some days were better than others, but she was already showing signs of sleepiness during her lunch.

As Keith disappeared upstairs, he heard the soothing sound of his father singing an all-too familiar lullaby to his fussy cub sister. Thace’s voice drifted off around five doboshes thereafter, so Keith assumed that Selkis was sleeping soundly in the backroom of the shop, and Thace had returned to his work. Upon coming back downstairs, however, Keith was surprised to find that Thace had fallen asleep along with Selkis.

Keith paused in the doorway to the storefront, crossing his arms over his chest as he tilted his head to the side fondly. Thace was laid out on the backroom’s old couch, with Selkis on his chest. The fabric of Thace’s sweater was clutched in her tiny, clawed hands, and soft squeaks were leaving the back of her throat as she slept.

For half a tick, Keith considered trying to wake his father, knowing that Thace didn’t like sleeping when the shop was still open. But Keith also knew that he could manage the store until Thace woke up. Glancing around, Keith spotted the soft, plush blanket that Selkis had brought downstairs a couple of quintants before. She had gotten it out earlier when Regris had been visiting because she had wanted Regris to make a blanket fort with her in the backroom. 

He had been visiting more and more frequently over the last couple of weeks, allowing Keith to help Thace without having to worry about Selkis getting into something. Today, Regris and Selkis had been making a blanket fort. Unfortunately, after Regris had left that day, they had had to take the fort down, but the blanket still hadn’t made its way back upstairs yet. Carefully, Keith laid the blanket out over top of his father and sister. After making sure they were both fully covered, he ducked his head to lightly run his nose along each of their temples. Then, he turned and went back out front, just in case they happened to get a customer.

The ticker that hung above the front door seemed like it was mocking him. Keith leaned forward against the counter, clicking his claws impatiently against the countertop as he watched the ticker’s hands slowly made their way around. This was the part of the day that Keith  _ hated _ working, but at least when his father was awake, Thace could find  _ something _ for him to do. Looking at the shelves now caused him to heave a sigh, as he didn’t know which ones his father had wanted him to clear off. While there were always some plants in need of tender loving care, he couldn’t pick out more than a handful that needed to be moved to the backroom. He moved on autopilot, retrieving the plants and putting them on a spare palette, taking care to set them down on a free shelf amongst the spare pots, gloves, and an old, antique watering can that Keith had never seen anybody use.

The only other chore he could think of was sweeping. The front of the shop didn’t look that messy, but it gave him something to do. Before he set to work, another quick glance at the ticker told him that it was 1400. He hoped that Regris would show up eventually, as he had been doing for the last two weeks or so. Honestly, Keith had lost track of how long it had been, but he did enjoy Regris’s company, so he wasn’t going to complain.

He ducked into the backroom to grab a broom, being careful to not disturb his father and sister. He was just propping the door open when he noticed a familiar face coming down the street, carrying two coffees and a paper bag. Regris raised his tail to wave as he got closer, and ducked into the shop as Keith propped the door open.

“Hey, Reg,” Keith said easily, watching as Regris set the coffees down on the counter and then hopped up to sit on it. As he set to sweeping, Keith’s ears shifted forward in interest. “You’re earlier than usual.”

“My class let out early,” Regris said, tongue flicked out of his mouth as he scented the air. He was also glancing around, as if looking for something.

“Selkis in the back taking her nap,” Keith said before Regris had a chance to ask. “She probably won’t be up before 1600… Dad’s back there with her—but I doubt he’ll be asleep for that long.”

Regris let out a hissing hum, and nodded in understanding. “That’s a shame… I got her a pastry and everything.”

Keith snorted as he swept the dirt out the door. “I’m sure she’ll appreciate it,” he said, ears flicking in amusement. “Assuming Dad doesn’t try to take some of it for himself.”

“My sister and I always wanted sour stuff when we were kids,” Regris said, smiling as he reminisced. Then, his ears perked suddenly underneath of his hood, and he pulled his com out of his pocket and began scrolling through it. “I have a picture of Ruhk, Papa, and Baba on here somewhere…  _ here _ !” He turned the com and brought up a projection for Keith to see.

“That’s my sister, Ruhk—we’re twins,” Regris said, grinning as he pointed to each member of his family—first to his sister, then to the Galra, and then the Lachesis. “And then that’s my birthfather, Roshar. And my bloodfather, Rakkis.” Then, Regris’ ears drooped a little bit. “This was taken right before I moved here…”

Regris was very easy to pick out in the picture. He was a little bit smaller than his sister, who stood at his right. Her coloration was much darker, with bluish-gray scales, although she had the same mottling across her nose bridge and cheeks. Other than the differences in their scales, Regris and his sister looked very much alike. The small Galra standing to their left must have been their birthfather. His fur was a deep purple, fluffy around his face and ears. The final member of the family was Regris’s bloodfather, who stood a head taller than Regris’s sister. She was nearly a head taller than her Galran father as well. Keith had seen Lacheses, but he had never seen one  _ that _ big before. Judging by the picture, he was bigger than  _ Antok _ .

“Is this the first time you’ve been this far from home?” Keith asked. He had never left home before. Even when they had gone on family vacations, he had always been them. Following Ulaz and Thace’s bonding ceremony, for instance, they had gone out to one of the lakes that was near Daibazaal. Keith had only been about five at the time, though, so he didn’t remember much of it.

“Yeah,” Regris said, putting his com away. “It’s okay, though… my sister and I talk every night. She’s going to school back in Daibazaal, so she misses me too…” He trailed off and then quickly motioned to the coffee. “Anyway… I brought you this—I hope it’s not cold…” He handed over the cup without any further preamble.

Keith eagerly took the cup from him and smelled it, immediately recognizing the scent of chocolate.  After taking another, deep sniff, he took a sip of the warm liquid, and hummed in appreciation for the taste when he noticed how the tip of Regris’s tail was twitching back and forth nervously against the floor. When Keith’s ears relaxed against the sides of his head and he took another sip, Regris’s tail tip gave a happy twitch as he smiled.

“My friend Shiro brought chocolate back from Terra once,” Keith said as he took another sip of the chocolate drink. Shiro had given him and Pidge some the last time he had returned from visiting home, back to Terra. Keith had loved how it had melted in his mouth and had had an almost cream-like consistency, although he had failed to understand how the chocolate wasn’t fruit even though it was sweet.

Regris’s eyes widened as he tilted his head to the side. “That’s  _ far _ …”

“He’s with the Galaxy Garrison,” Keith explained, ears perking up as he smiled. “Their embassy, I mean... and stationed on Daibazaal most of the time. Papa helped him a couple of years ago, after he lost his arm in an accident.”

“Oh,” Regris said, ears twitching as his brow furrowed in concern. “Is he alright?”

Keith nodded quickly. While he hadn’t known Shiro before the accident, they had grown close during Shiro’s treatment, and now Keith considered Shiro to be one of his closest friends. “There’s also Pidge,” he added. “Her parents teach at the university. They’re from Altea, but she and I grew up together.”

“You’re not talking his ear off, are you, kitling?” Thace’s voice cut in suddenly as he emerged from the backroom, stretching. Selkis didn’t come running out after him, so she must have still been napping.

“Hello, Thace!” Regris greeted cheerfully before motioning to the paper bag that sat on the counter beside the second coffee. “There’s a pastry in there, if you want it…”

Thace’s ears perked up in surprise as he tilted his head to the side and reached for the bag. Curiously, he sniffed at what was inside. “Is this polan fruit?” he asked, looking at Regris in surprise. “You didn’t have to do that, you know…” he said, taking a bite of the pastry and smiling at the sweetness of it. “We already like you.”

“Well, my papa always told me to be nice,” Regris said, shrugging as he mirrored Thace’s smile. “I got something for Keith, so I figured I might as well get something for you and Selkis too.”

“Thank you, I appreciate it,” Thace said sincerely, stowing a couple of pieces of the pastry back in the bag for Selkis when she woke up from her nap. “How about you two go and do… whatever it is kids do these days.”

Keith groaned, fur fluffing up in embarrassment as he rolled his eyes. “Dad, you’re only thirty-eight, you’re not  _ that _ old—”

“And you’re nineteen,” Thace retorted, making a shooing motion with his hand. “Go out and have some fun. I handled this store by myself when you were three, I still can do it now. Just be back for dinner.”

Keith sighed, but nodded. “Alright,” he said, taking off his apron and tossing it back at Thace, who caught it easily. Then, he headed out the door with Regris a couple of steps behind.

“We’ll just walk around,” Regris suggested, ducking past Keith and heading down the street. Keith lingered just outside of the shop, glancing back, but Thace had already distracted himself with straightening some of the display shelves.

“Keith!” Regris shouted from further up the street. He had half-turned, looking over his shoulder with his hands shoved in the pockets of his sweater. “Come on! I’ll treat you to another hot chocolate! It’s chilly out here!”

Keith felt his fur heat as he smiled and followed after Regris, catching up with him and trying to keep pace with his longer gait.

They ended up just walking around the city. Keith insisted on showing Regris around, in an attempt to help keep him from getting lost again. That seemed to be a bad habit of Regris’s. On more than one occasion over the last couple of weeks, he had messaged or called Keith in order to ask for directions since he had gotten lost. Keith didn’t know if he was the best person to ask, since he had a habit of getting lost himself, but he did enjoy listening to Regris talk. The entire time they were walking, in between Keith trying to remember where they were and making sure they were on the right street, Regris was telling him stories.

Most of them were funny enough to leave Keith in tears from laughing so hard.

It was starting to get dark by the time they got back to the shop. As they stopped, Keith peered in through the windows. He spotted Ulaz standing on one side of the counter, playing some sort of game with Selkis while she giggled and pawed at him. Thace stood nearby, sorting through some stray papers with his glasses perched on his nose.

“Thanks,” Keith said quickly, before Regris could say anything. Regris’s ears flicked beneath his hood as he tilted his head to the side and smiled. “I mean, thanks for keeping me company today… and walking me home.”

“It was nothing,” Regris said. “We should do it again sometime, I had a lot of fun.”

“Well… I’m taking Selkis to the park tomorrow,” Keith said, “you can come with us, if you want…”

Regris looked ecstatic. “Yes, I would like that very much.” Then, he looked up at the sky, and down at the ticker on his com. “I’ve gotta go, though… I have a class tonight.”

“Oh,” Keith said, trying to keep his ears from drooping. He had been intending to invite Regris inside, knowing fully well that Thace would insist that he stay for dinner. While he was a little disappointed, knowing that he was going to see Regris tomorrow made it better. “Good luck in class then…”

“Thanks!” Regris said as he strode past, lifting a hand to wave as he disappeared.

Only once Regris had disappeared around the corner did Keith duck into the shop.

“I’m back,” Keith said as the door slammed closed behind him.

“Keef!” Selkis said excitedly, turning away from Ulaz to hold her hands out for him. He gladly scooped her up and let her rub their cheeks together in greeting. “Where you go?”

“I was showing Regris around the city, that’s all,” Keith said, setting her carefully down on the counter again. “Now, you know how we are going to go to the park tomorrow?” When Selkis nodded excitedly, Keith continued speaking. “Regris is coming with us.”

“You invited him along?” Ulaz asked in surprise.

“Yeah, I did,” Keith said, nodding.

Ulaz and Thace exchanged a look, both seeming surprised and intrigued by this turn of events. However, neither of them commented on it immediately.

“Um… it’s just for a couple of hours,” Keith continued, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. “And Selkis really likes him, so I just figured it’d be okay.”

“Reg is coming?” Selkis repeated, ears perked and a bright smile on her face. She was practically bouncing on her toes in excitement. “Play with me?”

“You’ll have to ask him yourself,” Keith said, returning her smile.

—

The next day, Keith helped Selkis get ready, and made sure she had everything she needed. He had already packed everything he thought he was would need into the bag he wore over his shoulder. Inside was a small first-aid kit and some snacks in case Selkis got hungry.

Selkis was bouncing up and down on her toes, fur fluffed up in excitement. She didn’t seem to be able to sit still while Keith helped her with her coat. Normally, she wore foot wraps around the shop, but today, she actually had to wear shoes—something that she was not particularly happy about. Mostly, though, she seemed eager to take her perch on top of the back of the chair to keep a watch out for Regris coming down the street. As soon as Keith told her that her coat was on, she bolted, clambering up onto the back of the chair and pressing her small hands against the glass. Keith went over to make sure she was steady

“Keep an eye on her,” Thace said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Don’t let her stray too far just because you’re talking to a friend…”

“We’ll be fine, Dad,” Keith said, waving him off as he glanced up at the sky, noting how overcast it was—he hoped it didn’t start raining too soon, or else they’d have to come back earlier than they had originally been planning. Not to mention, Selkis would be upset that her time at the park was cut short.

“Reg!” Selkis said suddenly, her entire body perking up as she grinned brightly. As Keith stood up and went to get the door, Selkis scrambled down the back of the chair and scurried after him, grabbing hold of his pant leg.

“Hello,” Regris greeted him as he was allowed into the shop, tail flicking back and forth against the ground. “Are we ready to go?”

“Selkis, aren’t you forgetting something?” Thace called from the other side of the room. Selkis let out a surprised-sounding chirp before she hurried over to Thace and held her hands up. Thace scooped her up, rubbing their cheeks together and nuzzling her temple. “Behave for your brother and Regris.”

Selkis nodded and then wiggled out of his hold as he set her back down on the floor. She then went back over to where Regris and Keith were standing. “Bye, Dad!” she said as Keith scooped her up. Then, she nudged Keith. “Keef say it too…”

Keith chuckled softly. “Bye, Dad,” he said. “We’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

—

The park was only a couple of blocks from the shop, surrounded by trees and small apartment blocks. A playground was in the middle, with a couple of slides, a set of swings, and a large sandbox. Keith and Pidge had come here a lot when they were children. They had spent most of their time in the sandbox, trying to get to the bottom, or searching for ‘buried treasure’ that they could never seem to find.

Selkis, however, preferred the slides—anything she could climb, really. She had darted off as soon as Keith had put her down, and Keith wondered if she had even heard him say to stay within his eyesight. But she hadn’t wandered far, continuing to climb around the playground equipment like she was some kind of bird. Right now, she was climbing up the stairs again, intending to go back down the slide.

“I would’ve thought a playground would be more active around midday,” Regris commented.

“It usually is,” Keith said, glancing up at the sky again. The cloud cover had remained pretty much the same, but the rain had yet to start. “It must be the weather…”

Regris snorted. “A little rain never hurt anyone.”

“Dad always says if you play in the rain you’re going to get a cold,” Keith said, unable to hide his grin. “When Papa stumbled into our shop the first time, he was soaked to the bone because he had forgotten his umbrella that day… scared me half to death, because I didn’t like anyone besides my dad and my uncle Antok—”

“Were you little then?” Regris asked.

“Three or four, maybe?” Keith said, shrugging. It had been a long time ago. “Anyway, Dad got him some coffee and towels so he could dry off, and then let him hang out in the shop until the rain let up…”

Regris smiled, tail tip twitching back and forth through the grass. “That was nice of Thace…”

“Yeah, I—” Keith cut off abruptly when Selkis let out a sharp cry. When he looked back over to her, she was sitting in the mulch, looking like she had hit the ground a little too hard on her way down the slide. Without another word, Keith was on his feet, hurrying across the playground to her, scooping her up and cradling her again his chest.

“Hey, hey… shhh… it’s okay,” Keith said, purr already building in the back of his throat. “Where does it hurt?” he asked, and Selkis sniffled, motioning to her knee, which looked like it had gotten scraped.

“Is she okay?” Regris asked as he approached.

Keith nodded, ducking past Regris and going back over to the bench, still holding Selkis to his chest. She sniffled and wiped her eyes and Keith carefully sat down again. He began purring soothingly, running his hand over the fluffy crest between her ears as he reached into his bag and pulled out the first aid kit he had brought along with him. “It’s okay, Sel…” he assured her. “It’s just a little scrape… I have to put some disinfectant on it and then you get a bandage, okay?”

Selkis whined, looking unconvinced. “Hurt?” she asked.

“Only for a tick,” Keith said.

Regris plopped down beside them on the bench, and carefully lifted his tail into view, waving the tip back and forth in front of Selkis. Immediately, she became distracted, in spite of her sniffling. Her eyes grew wide, ears alert as she quickly reached out and tried to grab Regris’ tail. Seeming pleased with himself, Regris shot Keith a smile and then motioned to Selkis’ scrape with his ears before turning his attention back to entertaining Selkis.

“Are those spikes sharp?” Keith whispered, carefully applying the disinfectant to Selkis’ scrape. She didn’t even make a sound, far more distracted by keeping her eyes trained on the movement of Regris’ tail.

“They’re blunt,” Regris said, shaking his head. “She won’t hurt herself on them if she manages to catch it.”

As Keith managed to get a bandage wrapped around Selkis’s scape, she reached out and managed to catch hold of Regris’s tail, earning a bark of laughter in return.

“Nice going, little one,” Regris said, reaching out to ruffle her ears. Selkis released his tail, giggling as she squirmed. “You caught it.”

Keith ducked his head a moment later, lightly bumping his nose against Selkis’ temple. “Alright, Sel… are you ready to play some more?” he asked softly.

She nodded, sliding off his lap, but then she grabbed his hand and started pulling. “Keef! Swing!” she said insistently.

Keith sighed, getting to his feet and letting her lead him over to the swings. Regris followed a couple of steps behind and when Keith turned, about to ask him if he could grab the bag, he found that Regris was already holding it. “Okay, Sel… do you want me to push you?”

Selkis pouted, shaking her head. “Sit with me! Reg pushes!”

Keith shot Regris an apologetic look. “Sorry, you don’t have—”

“It’s okay, I don’t mind,” Regris said, tail twitching back and forth happily against the mulch.

Keith nodded, feeling his fur heat as he carefully sat down on the swing and Selkis clambered into his lap. He stiffened when Regris lightly rested his hands on his back.

“Keith?” Regris asked. “You okay?”

“Fine,” Keith managed.

Regris chuckled. “Don’t worry. I won’t push that hard.”

Keith felt his fur burn as Regris started pushing them. But both Regris and Selkis were laughing, so Keith found that he was able to smile.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The art in this chapter was done by [Meteorysh](http://meteorysh.tumblr.com/)

Music filled the shop, and Keith’s ears perked and twitched at the sound of it.

Normally, when he was working by himself, the shop was silent. More often than not, he forgot the radio was even there, unless Thace had decided to turn it on. Just barely, over the the beat and flow of the music, he could hear the light pattering of rain against the pavement and windows outside. It was peaceful, and Keith found it calming.

Regris stood nearby, using the tip of his tail to scroll through the user interface on the radio with his arms crossed against his chest. He tilted his head to the side as he considered the options that were available before lightly tapping one. Immediately, the pace of music changed to more languid tones that were commonly heard around Daibazaal, complete with the low, soothing voice of some famous singer that Keith could never remember the name of. 

As Regris started swaying a bit to the song, seeming pleased with his selection, Keith shook his head fondly and continued his sweeping. He carefully propped the door to sweep the leaves he had collected out of the shop and onto the sidewalk.

“Dance with me!” Regris said suddenly, grabbing hold of Keith’s arm to drag him back inside.

“Reg, I’m supposed to be cleaning the shop,” Keith reminded him, even though he followed Regris without putting up any kind of fight. “Dad is going to be back soon and—”

“Just for this song,” Regris said, grinning. “I love this song.”

Keith’s ears pinned back—he had never been much for dancing, truth be told. Ulaz had tried to teach him how to do some of the more traditional dances when he was still in school, but Keith could never seem to get the hang of them. Nobody except Pidge and Thace had ever wanted to dance with him anyway. He did remember coming downstairs when he was an older cub, looking for one of his fathers, only to find them dancing in the middle of the shop because Ulaz had turned on the radio and dragged Thace to dance with him.

They had always seemed so happy when they danced together.

“Okay…” Keith mumbled, setting the broom to the side and allowing Regris to lead him out to the center of the shop. His posture stiffened as he awkwardly stared at his feet, trying not to step on Regris’s toes as they started kind-of-dancing. Neither of them were wearing more than their footwraps, leaving their toe-claws exposed. While the claws were dull, it still hurt if someone put enough pressure on your foot.

Keith didn’t want to make a fool of himself. Not in front of Regris… 

“Keith,” Regris’s voice was soft when he spoke, and he chuckled softly when Keith looked up at him in surprise. “I take it you don’t dance much.”

“Papa tried to teach me for this school dance when I was, like, fifteen,” Keith grumbled, ears pinning back in embarrassment. “I dance—I just… don’t dance  _ with _ people.”

“It’s supposed to be  _ fun _ ,” Regris said, tail tip brushing lightly against the floor. His ears were twitching in amusement. “You  _ do _ know how to have fun, don’t you?”

“Of course I d—” Keith cut off with a surprised yelp as Regris suddenly dipped him. He only relaxed when he realized Regris had a firm hold on the small of his back so he wasn’t going to fall. Still, his ears pinned back further, and his fur seemed ready to catch fire in embarrassment.

“Could’ve fooled me,” Regris said teasingly, smirking before he easily stood up again, bringing Keith with him. “Now, put a little more energy into it!”

Keith wasn’t so sure what ‘putting more energy’ into his dancing meant. He thought he  _ had _ been doing that. Dancing had always looked so much easier when he  _ wasn’t _ one of the participants. He remembered when he was a cub, and Thace used to pick up to “dance” with him around the shop. Antok and Ulaz had apparently taken videos of it. That had apparently been when he was still too small to be truly coordinated. When he was a little older, he remembered dancing on top of Ulaz’s toes as Ulaz spun around the shop when the radio was on…

Usually because Keith had rushed over to interrupt his fathers when they were dancing and insisted that it was  _ his _ turn to dance with Ulaz.

He had gotten so lost in thought that he hadn’t realized he had stepped on Regris’s toes until Regris let out a sharp hiss as one of Keith’s toe-claws dug into the top of his foot.

“Sorry—” Keith said, fur fluffing up in embarrassment. He also slipped out of Regris’s arms, taking a hasty step back. Noticing the dejected look on Regris’s face, he quickly added, “I told you… I don’t really dance.”

“I could teach you a simple box step,” Regris offered. “I saw it in a holovid once! It’s really easy.” Then, he smiled teasingly. “I think that even someone as dancingly challenged as you would be able to manage it.”

Keith let out a soft huff. “I don’t know…” he said hesitantly.

“If you don’t want to, that’s fine,” Regris said. “But I really think you could do it.”

Keith sighed heavily, but nodded and approached him again, taking Regris’s hand when it was offered. Abruptly, Keith was dragged close so they were nearly chest to chest with one another. Keith had to crane his head back just to meet Regris’s gaze. Regris, however, was busy adjusting where their hands were resting.

“Isn’t this supposed to be a more formal dance? Like for dances and stuff?” Keith asked. “Shiro’s mentioned it once or twice…”

“Maybe,” Regris admitted, frowning as he thought. “The Terrans in the video looked like they were wearing fancy clothes…”

“So… shouldn’t we change the music?” Keith suggested. The radio was still playing some kind of techno-pop that Regris seemed to like a lot—rather unfitting for something that Keith thought was meant to be slower. “Or just turn it off entirely?”

“The music is half the fun!” Regris argued, grinning at Keith. Then, he reached out with his tail, glancing over his shoulder in order to see the stations he was scrolling through. He didn’t let go of Keith—if anything, his grip seemed to tighten. Keith tried to withhold a squeak, willing his ears to remain at ease and not reveal his embarrassment. He thought Regris might interpret his discomfort as an indication that he didn’t want to be in his company, when that couldn’t have been further from the truth. Instead of thinking too much on it, he focused on the profile of Regris’s face.

His glasses had slid down his nose a little bit during their previous dancing. He was squinting as he peered at the radio and paused in his scrolling just long enough to use his tail to push the glasses back up again. Keith also noticed that there was the faintest darkening of his cheeks, along with his mottled scales were. Then, his tongue flicked out of his mouth as a hiss of impatience left him. His ears began flicking against the sides of his head, brow furrowing as he peered at the holoscreen.

Keith didn’t know how long he had been staring when Regris finally spoke again, knocking him out of his daze.

“There we go,” Regris said, finally selecting a different station, tapping the holoscreen with the tip of his tail. The technopop was replaced by something much slower, quieter. It reminded him of the string instrument that Kolivan sometimes played, but Keith couldn’t for the life of him remember what it was called—some Terran thing.

“Okay, so basically, you just have to follow what I do,” Regris said softly, before taking a step back from him, but not letting go entirely. While Keith tilted his head to the side, Regris smiled easily. Taking a deep breath, Keith took a step forward, following him.“There you go!” Regris said enthusiastically, grinning.

The dancing after that became a little bit easier, mostly because Regris wasn’t moving very fast. As they danced, Regris gave clear instructions that were easy to understand.They were following the rhythm of the music—slow and thoughtful, moving in a circle around the shop and taking care to avoid the shelves where the plants sat. Eventually, Keith got the hang of it, and he was better able to keep up with Regris, even when he was quickly spinning them around, arms wrapped loosely around Keith’s back.

And Keith was laughing, smiling brightly as he continued following Regris’s steps. Regris leaned in close, nearly bumping his forehead against Keith’s—and in spite of how his fur began to heat, Keith continued smiling. They lingered there for a moment, staring into each other’s eyes.

“Reg!”

And immediately, Regris drew back, gaze flicking in the direction of the backroom. Selkis was hurrying through the doorway, bright-eyed and messy-furred as she looked up at them. She must’ve just woken up from her nap. She hadn’t been awake when Regris arrived. Keith would’ve been more surprised that the music hadn’t disturbed her if Selkis didn’t sleep like the dead half the time.

“I wanna dance!” Selkis insisted, hopping up and catching hold of the fabric of Regris’ pants. She clung to his leg, toes barely touching the ground. “My turn, Keef!”

Regris’ ears flicked in amusement, watching the cub with a fond tilt of his head. Then, he looked back at Keith. “Sorry…” he said sincerely, looking sheepish. “We can dance again later, okay?”

Keith snorted, but nodded nonetheless, slipping out of Regris’s arms again. He moved out of the way, as Regris scooped Selkis up and wentback over to the radio to switch the station again. They whispered to each other, as if planning something secret. Keith sighed and turned his attention to wiping down the counter, even though it wasn’t  _ that _ dirty. He couldn’t sweep if they were going to be dancing in the middle of the shop.

Eventually, Regris picked a station that sounded very similar to the technopop. Keith wasn’t into music enough to be able to pick out genres just based on sound alone. He watched with rapt attention as Regris set Selkis down on the ground again, and let her stand on his feet. Then, they began a dance that looked more like a ruthiil crab waddling around than anything else.

But both Selkis and Regris were laughing and smiling, so Keith found himself smiling fondly as he watched anyway.

—

Making flower crowns was something that Keith had been doing since he was a small cub. Back before Thace had bonded with Ulaz, Keith remembered how he would sit in the backroom in Antok’s lap, helping Antok make the crowns that they would then proudly present to Thace when he came back to check on them. It had been a nice way to spend the time he had to be away from his dad, before he had been old enough to go to school or actually help out around the shop and be of some use. Selkis was lucky in that regard. She had  _ plenty _ of people to keep her occupied.

Now, she sat in Regris’s lap, weaving some of the flowers together with his help. She had decided that she’d much rather sit with Regris than with Keith today. Regris was staying a little later than usual, actually. Normally he was gone by now since he had schoolwork he needed to do.

“Reg!” Selkis said, holding up the finished flower crown for him. He dipped his head, allowing her to set it there.

“Are you trying to steal my baby sister?” Keith snorted, feigning a hurt look.

Regris smiled cheekily. “Why in the Void would I do that?” he asked, tilting his head to the side.

Before Keith could respond, however, he heard the sound of the front door opening and Thace poked his head into the backroom. “I’m heading back out in a tick,” he said. “I just wanted to check in on you three…”

“Where are you going now?” Keith asked.

“Your father forgot his lunch,” Thace said.

Keith snorted. “So I can’t expect you back for a varga or two?”

Thace rolled his eyes. “I’ll come back once I’ve made sure he’s eaten,” he said. “Just keep an eye on the shop and your sister while I’m gone, alright?”

Keith didn’t mind. Today had been such a slow day, and he didn’t see any signs of that changing. At this point, he was mostly waiting around for closing time. He didn’t see any reason to head to the front of the shop when he’d much rather stay in the back and continue making flower crowns with his sister and Regris. While he had been talking to Thace, Selkis had become distracted from weaving flowers together, instead focusing her attention on counting the mottled markings on Regris’ face, even though she still hadn’t mastered counting past five yet. Regris didn’t seem to mind as she pawed at his face, leaving his glasses askew and causing them to nearly fall off of his face. He just sat still and bore it, and even appeared to be helping her try to count.

He snorted softly as Selkis rested her hand on top of one of the heat-seeking pits that Regris had on either side of his nose, and drew back in surprise, as if he had been struck. Selkis squeaked quietly, ears perking.

“Did she startle you?” Keith teased.

Regris shook his head, as if trying to clear it. “Nah, I’m fine…” he said easily. “I’ve been through worse than getting knocked in the face by a little furball.”

Selkis pouted, ears pinning back, although she didn’t seem upset so much as annoyed. “I’m not lil…”

Regris grinned at her. “Could’ve fooled me.”

Keith’s ears perked when he heard the door to the shop open—he knew it probably wasn’t Thace. With a heavy sigh, he pushed himself to his feet. “I’ll be back,” he said, although he wasn’t sure if Regris and Selkis had heard him. As Keith left, Selkis began pawing at Regris’s face again, asking about the heat seeking pits on the sides of his nose.

When Keith exited out to the front of the shop, he was surprised to see Shiro and Pidge standing there. Normally, they would tell him when they planned on stopping by. It  _ had _ been a while since they had seen each other, but he had talked to Pidge only a couple of days ago. Both had been busy, though, so it made sense they hadn’t had a chance to meet up recently.

“Hey, Keith!” Pidge said, grinning. “We wanted to see if you were free to hang out…” Then, she glanced around the shop. “Although… I guess since your dad isn’t here, you can’t, huh?”

Keith sighed and shook his head. “He went up to Papa’s practice… and I’m watching Selkis—”

“Are you?” Shiro snorted. “She didn’t come running out to greet us…”

“Yeah, where is she?” Pidge asked.

“Pid! Ta!” Selkis said as she burst out of the backroom, rushing over to them. Keith’s ears flicked in surprise and he realized that Selkis must have heard their voices and decided to come out and see them.

“Sel—” Regris came out after her, but cut off when he saw Shiro and Pidge. He tilted his head to the side curiously, although he didn’t appear off put by their presence. The feeling seemed to be mutual, as both Shiro and Pidge mirrored Regris’ reaction.

“Regris, these are my friends that I’ve mentioned,” Keith said, hoping that his nervousness wasn’t showing. “Shiro, Pidge, this is my new friend, Regris.”

“Nice to meet you,” Regris said, smiling easily at them. “Keith has mentioned both of you, it’s nice to finally put faces to the names!”

“You’re in one of my classes,” Pidge said suddenly, breaking out in an excited grin. “Intro to Biotech with Dr. Ryner. I sit in the back!”

Regris’s ears perked as a look of recognition passed over his features. “I thought you looked familiar!” he said. “I didn’t realize that you and Keith were friends.”

Regris and Pidge began excitedly talking about their latest assignment—most of which, Keith couldn’t even begin to understand. Something about coding a bypass using nerve endings… Selkis seemed to get bored of listening too, as she quietly wiggled out of Regris’s grasp and came over to where Shiro was standing,holding her arms up. Shiro scooped her up, allowing her to rub her cheek against his. Unable to mirror her purr, Shiro let out a soft hum.

“So, how did you two meet?” Shiro asked curiously.

“He came in to ask for directions to the university,” Keith said, reaching out to smooth a hand over the top of his sister’s head. “Startled Selkis half to death, but she warmed up to him by the time he was leaving…”

“And he just… kept coming back?” Shiro said, quirking a brow as a teasing smile appeared on his lips. “He seems nice… where’s he from?”

“He moved here from Daibazaal,” Keith said, smiling.

“Think he knows Lotor?” Shiro asked. “The entire way here, Pidge was talking with him… I think she misses him…”

Keith’s ears flicked as he glanced over to the other side of the shop where Pidge and Regris were enthusiastically talking about their classes—although now they seemed to have moved onto hacking. “Well, it  _ has _ been a while since she saw him…” Keith pointed out. “Long distance can be difficult.”

“How would you know?” Shiro asked. “You’ve never had a relationship in your life.”

“Because I’m empathetic,” Keith retorted. “And how do you know I’m not seeing someone without telling you?”

“Because you’re  _ horrible _ at lying,” Shiro said, unable to hide his grin. Then, he motioned to Regris with a jerk of his head and a quirked eyebrow.

“It’s not like that,” Keith said as his fur fluffed up in embarrassment.

“I like to think I know you pretty well,” Shiro said. “He seems like a nice guy, you know… and he also seems to like you too. Otherwise, I don’t think he’d keep hanging around here with you and you sister all day.”

Selkis glanced up at that, pouting. “Ta?”

“Not that there’s anything wrong with hanging out with Selkis all day,” Shiro hastily added.

Selkis still pouted, looking more displeased than hurt, and Keith was unable to contain his laughter.

—

Regris ended up fitting right in—and Keith was grateful for it. He had been worried that Regris wouldn’t get along with Pidge and Shiro. Lotor, if he could ever get away from the city, would likely be a different story. Maybe Keith would call him at some point. Assuming Pidge didn’t call him first and blab about how Keith had made a new friend. Once it started getting dark, though, Pidge and Shiro had to leave, since it was getting late. Selkis sat on the counter and waved goodbye, while Regris did the same, waving from where he was standing behind the counter, leaning forward against it.

Thace had closed the shop around an hour beforehand, and then disappeared upstairs to start getting dinner ready for when Ulaz got home to help finish it. That left Regris and Keith downstairs to finish cleaning up the aftermath of helping Selkis make flower crowns. Pidge and Shiro had left the shop with one apiece, while Regris still had his first one perched on his head. Keith had been given one by her as well, although he had set it to side before seeing Pidge and Shiro off. Even Thace had gotten one, and Keith knew he wasn’t going to take it off until after dinner.

Regris glanced at the ticker above the door and sighed. “I should go… my night class is starting in about twenty doboshes. If I rush, I might actually make it on time…”

Keith tried not to let his disappointment show, gathering up Selkis in his arms as he followed Regris to the door.

“Oh, one more thing,” Regris said, before he went to go and retrieve something from behind the counter. It was another flower crown, made of golden flowers that glowed in the rapidly dimming light. “I made this one for you…” Regris said, carefully setting it on top of Keith’s head.

Keith’s voice had gotten caught in his throat at the sight of the flowers.

Was… was Regris aware that he had just given Keith tali flowers? He wanted to ask, but he didn’t want to make it awkward if Regris  _ hadn’t _ realized he had essentially just shown his interest. Keith could remember that when he was a cub, Thace had frequently received tali flowers from those who wanted to court him. Thace, however, had been far more focused on his shop and son than he had been in looking for a bondmate.

It certainly hadn’t helped that Keith had never liked any of the people who had given him the flowers in the first place.

“Th—Thanks,” Keith managed to squeak out.

Regris’ ears flicked as his brow knit together. “Do you not like it?”

“No, no, it’s not that,” Keith said, shaking his head. “I love it, really… it’s really pretty. Thank you.”

“I picked these ‘cause they match your eyes,” Regris said, grinning.

Selkis seemed annoyed by that. “Me too?”

“I already made you one,” Regris said, motioning to the crown of blue and white lilies that Selkis had on her head. “Let your brother have something for a change?”

Selkis pouted, but said nothing, sinking into Keith’s arms.

Regris’ tail twitched back and forth against the floor. “I’ll make you another one sometime, okay?” he asked. “Now, I gotta go. See you tomorrow, Keith!”

“Bye…” was all Keith could manage, trying to still his rapidly beating heart.


	4. Chapter 4

Some nights, when he needed to think, Keith would sit on the roof outside the window of his room and look up, trying to pick out the stars. More could be seen here in Marmora than could be seen in the capital, but not as many as out in the country. He remembered that when he was younger, he’d sit out here with Thace or Ulaz and be taught some of the constellations that stood out amongst the black of night. Those times had been his first real look into the world outside of their little city.

It hadn’t been until years later that he actually got to leave home, much less go somewhere else on Daibazaal. He had always wanted to take a journey offworld, but they had never been able to afford such things.

Now that Keith was older, he mostly came out onto the roof when he wanted to think. It was close enough that he could still hear inside the house, but far enough away that he could get some peace and quiet. If he listened closely, he could hear Thace and Ulaz talking about something in the hallway outside of his room. The more urgent whispering was likely Thace, while the calmer and more collected voice belonged to Ulaz. From where he was sitting, Keith couldn’t make out what they were saying, but he didn’t hear Selkis whining for attention, so she was either asleep or completely entranced by the holoscreen in the living room.

Deciding not to dwell on it, Keith turned his attention back to the sky.

The flower crown that Regris had made for him earlier today sat in his lap, although the tali flowers had long since gone dim in the moonlight, appearing a dull yellow rather than glowing a bright gold. After Regris given it to him, he had quickly stashed it in his room, before Thace or Ulaz could see it. At this point, he was sure that Regris hadn’t had any idea what he had given Keith. The tali flower was a Marmora tradition, after all. Keith didn’t think it was known in the capital at all. Ulaz was from Daibazaal and he had had no clue what the flower meant before he had moved out here.

On one hand, Keith wished he had said something before Regris had left. On the other hand, that might’ve just netted him a pretty firm rejection when Regris hastily tried to correct himself and say he hadn’t meant it that way at all. Keith wasn’t sure what he should’ve done. He would prefer to keep Regris as a friend, if he could.

Lightly, he thumbed one of the tali flowers making up the crown, watching the light catch on the pearlescent petals. His lips gave the tiniest upwards quirk as he remembered how happy Regris had been when he handed the crown over. He must have worked very hard on it while Keith was busy fixing up the shop. Keith hadn’t even seen Regris making it. Regris had seemed proud of the surprise, and his work.

One of his ears flicked back in the direction of the door to his room when he heard a quick knock.

“Keith?” Ulaz said from the other side. “Can I come in?”

“It’s open,” he said, not bothering to turn his head.

“ _ Just make sure you ask him if he’s _ —” Thace hissed from the hallway.

“I think I can handle it, love,” Ulaz said quickly, and the door clicked shut behind him.

Keith was silent, listening as Ulaz crossed the room and eased the window open further. He had to withhold a snort as Ulaz fumbled awkwardly, trying to slip himself out and onto the room.

“This window must have shrunk,” Ulaz said dryly as he settled down beside Keith on the roof. “I don’t remember it being that hard to get out of when you were younger. I guess I’m not as young as I used to be.”

Keith groaned. “Not you too…”

Ulaz chuckled, ears perking and twitching in amusement. “Oh, has your father been making jokes about his age again?” he asked, tilting his head to the side. “I’m older than him by a couple of years, remember?”

Keith managed a smile. “Well, I’ll be sure to keep your  _ creaky bones _ in mind the next time I decide to hide out on the roof.”

They sat in silence for a couple of doboshes. Keith didn’t really feel the need to say anything. He knew that if he didn’t talk, Ulaz wasn’t going to force him to… but Ulaz was fully prepared to sit with him until Keith decided that he was ready to go back inside. That was comforting enough for now… however, Keith also felt like perhaps he  _ should _ talk, and be open for once…

“Did you and Selkis had fun with Regris today?” Ulaz asked. The question was innocent enough, and open-ended enough that if Keith didn’t want to talk about himself he didn’t have to.

Keith’s ears shifted back, twitching in embarrassment. “Selkis certainly did,” he sighed, leaning back against the side of the building. “She and Regris made a whole bunch of flower crowns earlier.”

“Well, she is quite fond of making those,” Ulaz pointed out. “And Regris helps her… he’s very good with her, actually. And she warmed up to him  _ very _ quickly.”

“Mm…” Keith mumbled noncommittally.

“Do you remember when your father and I met?” Ulaz asked next, as his ears shifted forward in interest. “You were rather young… perhaps three?”

“Yeah, I remember it was raining,” Keith said, nodding. “And I had run out to the front—”

Ulaz chuckled, nodding his head. “And I startled you by accident,” he finished. “But then you warmed up to me right away…”

The entire situation did leave Keith with a sense of deja vu. He had been a little older than Selkis was now when Ulaz and Thace had met, but he remembered flashes of what had happened. Right down to clinging to Ulaz’s leg once the rain had let up and begging Thace for them to keep him. Keith thanked the stars that Selkis hadn’t tried to do that with Regris. He probably would have died of embarrassment if that had happened.

“I supposed I should be glad that I learned what tali flowers meant pretty early on,” Ulaz added, motioning to the flower crown sitting in Keith’s lap with his ears. “Or…  _ does _ he knew?”

Keith mutely shook his head, lightly thumbing the petals again. “If he knew, do you think he’d make an entire  _ crown _ out of them?”

“Maybe he just  _ really _ like you,” Ulaz suggested.

Keith gave a noncommittal shrug,. “Maybe he does.”

Ulaz was silent for a couple of ticks, and Keith didn’t look up when he heard Ulaz begin to shift. Then, he felt Ulaz’s shoulder bump his as Ulaz scooted over so they were sitting next to one another. Then, Ulaz wrapped an arm around Keith’s shoulder, and Keith immediately leaned in. He felt like a cub again…

“And maybe you should just tell him how you feel?” Ulaz said, tilting his head to the side.

Keith snorted. “And be rejected?”

“I have a feeling that getting rejected is a lot less likely than you’re imagining it will be,” Ulaz said as he stroked along Keith’s crest, between his ears. “Actually, I think Regris likes you too… he’s just too shy to say anything. He made you a  _ flower crown _ , for stars’s sake.”

“Selkis made him one too,” Keith retorted.

“But he made one  _ specially _ for you,” Ulaz said.

“Is that what you consider the peak of romance?” Keith asked, trying to keep himself from laughing, although he was doing a pretty poor job of it. His shoulders were shaking as he tried to contain himself.

“The highest of peaks,” Ulaz said dryly.

“I… I’ll think about,” Keith mumbled. He glanced down at the crown once again. “Thanks, Papa…”

Ulaz let out a soft, comforting purr. “Of course…”

—

Regris didn’t come back to the shop the next day, or the day after that, or the day after that.

Keith tried not to let it get him down. He knew that Regris was a student, and that he was busy. There could have been any number of reasons that he had decided to stay away from the shop for the time being. It wasn’t because of something that Keith had done, no matter what the nagging voice in the back of his head was telling him.

He could have ignored it pretty easily, if Selkis hadn’t always been sitting on the back of the armchair, nose and tiny hands pressed up against the window as she waited for Regris to come by the shop. Keith had debated sending Regris a message or something, but if he was so busy he hadn’t been able to come by the shop, surely he was too busy for texts.

So instead of dwelling on it, Keith had tried to work, focusing on running the shop with Thace and keeping an eye on Selkis as she tried to help.

It wasn’t until nearly a week later that Regris stumbled into the shop. Outside it was dreary, matching the atmosphere of the first day that he had stepped foot into the shop. His hood was up over his head, shielding him from the rain, and his ears twitched beneath it as he looked around. Keith had paused in his sweeping when Regris had come in, freezing in place.

“Oh, good,” Regris said. Even in spite of his cheerful smile, he still seemed extremely nervous. “You’re here.”

Keith managed a smile. “Yeah, I am,” he said. “Did you need something?”

“Um… I just—” Regris stammered, tail tip twitching back and forth nervously against the tiled floor. “I know it’s been a while since I visited, and I apologize for that…”

“You’re a student,” Keith said, shaking his head. His ears had drooped a little bit. “You’re busy.” 

“I didn’t come back, because I was worried I had offended you,” Regris said.

Keith was silent for a moment, tilting his head to the side in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“The tali flowers?” Regris prompted. “Pidge… explained to me what they meant—and I didn’t mean to insinuate anything or make you uncomfortable.”

“I…” Keith trailed off. This was the moment where he could save himself the potential heartache and just insist that it was fine and he knew that Regris hadn’t meant anything by it. But instead, he took a deep breath and told the truth. “I… I liked them, actually.”

The tip of Regris’s tail gave a surprised twitch  “You… you did?” he said, eyes brightening. He seemed to be genuinely surprised by what Keith had said.

“Yes,” Keith said. “Around here, it is customary to give them to someone you’re romantically interested in…”

Regris cleared his throat awkwardly. “And I… gave you a whole crown of them.”

Keith bit back a snort, poorly concealing it. “You did…” he agreed. “Don’t worry, you didn’t accidentally propose or anything.” Regris looked just a touch relieved at that, but his surprise returned when Keith continued speaking. “But, if you um… if  _ I _ were to give you a tali flower, would you accept it?”

Regris’s ears perked and a bright smile broke out on his features. “I was actually going to ask you the same thing,” he said. “Well, I actually came here hoping to find your dad behind the counter so I could buy the flowers and surprise you, but uh… clearly that didn’t work out as well as I wanted.”

Keith laughed in spite of himself. “You can make it up to me over a cup of that hot chocolate stuff,” he said, smiling as he stepped closer. “Sound like a plan?”

“Now?” Regris asked, ears twitching in surprise.

“Later,” Keith assured him, before dragging him down for a nuzzle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the last chapter! :3 I hope you enjoyed it. Be sure to check out my artist Mebu because she is amazing and deserves more recognition <3
> 
> My tumblr: [revasnaslan](http://revasnaslan.tumblr.com/tagged/rev's%20writing%20again)  
> Mebu's tumblr: [meteorysh](http://meteorysh.tumblr.com/tagged/my%20art/)


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